abstract
| - In ancient Vedic teachings, Prithivi was the goddess of fertility, wife of Dyaus and mother of many gods such an Indra, Agni and Ushasu. During this time she was at the center of the creation myth and a very important god, but in later Hinduism she was reduced to the lesser role of mother of all Earthly creatures and sustainer of natural provisions. As such, she was associated with Vishnu as either his wife or a close ally. In the Hindu myth of Venu and Prithu, Prithivi refused to yield to the labours of men under the new earthly king Prithu. Prithu became angered by Prithivi's arrogance and shot an arrow into her heart. In fear, Prithivi turned herself into a cow and fled, but Prithu gave chase. Prithivi ran to the home of Brahma to seek refuge, but he refused, telling her that he could not help her go against the interests of the people. Instead he advised Prithivi to accept Prithu as her husband and obey his demands. Prithivi had no other choice but to take Brahma's advice and she became the loyal and obedient wife of Prithu. However it is suggested that Prithu was an abusive husband, often beating Prithivi to force her to produce more. For this, Prithivi is often known as a symbol of patience.
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